Study: Germans suffering PTSD from WWII

LEIPZIG , Germany, May 20 (UPI) -- A study of Germans who lived through World War II has found a high instance of survivors suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

The study, led by the University of Zurich's Andreas Maercker and Leipzig University's Elmar Braehler, analyzed 2,400 men and women from all age groups and found that the country's older population suffers from a relatively high incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder, Deutsche Welle reported Tuesday.

"To our surprise, PTSD among the 60- to 95-year-olds is three times as high as in the younger age groups, Maercker said.

Braehler added that nearly all cases of PTSD in older citizens resulted from experiences during World War II.

"Those affected talked about suffering panic attacks if they hear a fire truck responding to an emergency because they lived through aerial bomb attacks as small children," he said.